Endless beta? Ars interviews the men behind PlayStation Home

Ars catches up with two of the men in charge of the future of PlayStation Home …

GDC 2009 marked the second anniversary of the PlayStation Home announcement, and Ars was invited to speak with Jack Buser, director of PlayStation Home for Sony Computer Entertainment of America, and Peter Edward, director of the Home platform. I started by asking how far we've come since that announcement. "I think everyone gets it, we're starting to see large numbers of people in there. The user base is active. Content is constantly coming in... when you have the Guitar Hero space you pretty much know you've made it. The fact of the matter is, every major publisher for the PS3 now has some kind of plan for Home," Buser tells Ars.

What is Home? A virtual space where gamers can get together to talk about games, play some arcade-like games themselves, explore areas based on PS3 titles, and even purchase new accessories for their avatars. The service has been treated somewhat harshly by the press and gamers for having little content at launch—and for having quite the collection of griefers, with harassment usually aimed at female avatars. Dealing with words like "gay" and "Jew" on the service has also been an embarrassment for the company; someone's religion may be used as an insult, but the term itself being called inappropriate doesn't make for the right kinds of headlines.

I'm given a short demo of the new Guitar Hero space, complete with a Simon-like guitar mini-game and videos for Guitar Hero: Metallica playing on the walls. "Spaces create a hub for the community. Here people can go and meet each other and exchange hints and tips... we also have video screens where there will be announcements and big marketing updates, around the bend they'll be featuring behind-the-scenes information, Home-specific information. You see a lot of that that one-on-one communication between the publishers and the community."

The scoreboards for the guitar minigames are pointed out as being a major feature. I may have looked slightly incredulous. "People inside Home take [high scores] very seriously," they tell me, saying how quickly the scores rise inside the virtual space. In the Red Bull racing area people were taking pictures of their best times and putting them in the forums; adding a scoreboard helped the space become even more popular.

At an earlier meeting, Lincoln Davis, who handles media relations for the PlayStation Network, laughed darkly when I said we have been somewhat critical of Home in the past. He seemed to think it was something of an understatement. Things are looking good at the new Guitar Hero space, but it seems like the space simply isn't tied into the game enough. You can't get a band together and launch directly into the game, which would have been a killer feature.

"That's certainly something that can be added later on," I'm told, and it's stressed that Home is constantly being updated and improved. "The community should expect that. It will be more of a story if the space stays static, not if things are added. There will be events, the space will change, the franchise spaces will grow with the series itself." Everyone hopes that, eventually, the line between the game and the Home spaces will be blurred.

This of course leads to marketing opportunities. For Killzone 2 the company had Sony employees simply walking around the virtual spaces in Helghast and ISA Trooper outfits. The only way to get those outfits? Preordering the game through Amazon.com. "It was an amazing way to tie what was going on in the virtual world to the physical product... there is a minigame in the Resident Evil 5 area that you can't play unless you have the Blu-ray disc in the drive!" Buser tells me—he's obviously excited by the idea.

The best online plans never survive the first 50 people

Have there been problems policing the community? There is a long pause as they both think about the question.

"The average time people spend in home is 40 minutes. That's four-zero. People find secret ways to get up on top of stuff. At first we didn't like it very much, but the community loves it."

Some light parkour isn't exactly what I was referring to, but the other problems are downplayed. "Any online communities have their scare stories and naysayers. Home is part of the PlayStation Network, it goes by the same standards and guidelines of the PlayStation Network, we have established moderation practices... fundamentally, it's the same thing. Since Home is a 3D avatar-based service there are different interpretations of griefing, and we adapt our practices accordingly. We take action against users who abuse the system. I don't know what more to say," Edward says.

"If you go into Home for long enough you'll see someone... doing something, and in short order you'll also see one of our moderators," Buser adds and then chuckles. "But it's not just the moderators who do the moderation... people police their own community."

They draw a parallel with real life, where if you're chatting with some people and you get harassed, you can call the police, tell them to get lost, or move to another area. "People will convey their displeasure to other users."

A path out of beta?

The other major issue is the fact that the service is still in beta, which leads to an easy out when discussing these growing pains.

I ask when we'll get to a full, all-the-way-there release. "For me, it's not an issue. We're already at a stage where anyone with a PS3 can get on, we're at more than five million downloads of the client. Home is there, it's not going away," says Edwards.

But when will they lose the beta status? "I'm certainly not going to give you any information on it," I'm finally told.

"I can tell you why we like the term open beta, and why we've been sticking with it," Buser says, stepping in. "We really want to emphasize this idea of an evolving platform. What you see now is very different from what you'll see in a few months, and that's very different from what you'll see after that." I'm getting slightly frustrated by their inability to give a good answer. World of Warcraft is another fluid, evolving experience, and that's certainly not in beta.

"That's fair enough, but for us it's really, really important to drive that message home, even in the name of the product: Home, Open Beta. Come in, check it out, check out what we're offering, but come back! It will be different when you come back. Other products are changing like this, but it's very very unusual... we've really embraced those words—Open Beta—we're really comfortable with them. We haven't made any announcements about when we'll be moving past them or if we hit a major milestone or anything like that." There is a long pause. "We're becoming quite fond of the words!" Everyone laughs, but the tone is also slightly uncomfortable. "There's nothing really to say beyond that. It's a nonissue in a way."

So take it away then! Say it's out of beta! Buser thinks about it for a moment. "It's changing so fast at the moment, so when would something significant happen that would shadow all the other changes, and make it significantly above that to justify making a big fanfare about it coming out, it would be..." he trails off. I note that it almost seems as if they're trapped by the designation "open beta" at this stage.

"To be honest, we don't think about it, internally. We have our short-term plans, our updates, we're more focused on getting as much out there as possible." We shake hands and I leave, perhaps on a different note than we began the interview. What's clear is that Home has come a very long way... and it has just as long to go.

29 Reader Comments

They need to lose the "beta" tag. Honestly. Home works already (well, mostly).

Websites constantly change their content, and they aren't "beta". If Home is truly a platform, then they have to understand that that underlying platform is no longer in beta, even when the content it delivers changes and adapts.

I have previously suggested that certain spaces within Home may be designated "beta", even to the point of having beta and stable versions available as a choice... but "Home" itself should not be so labelled.

It does not inspire confidence that these people do not understand this.

I'm a bit disappointed the author focused on the negatives of Home but failed to ask about the ARG they recently launched, Xi. While it won't interest everyone, it's given me more of a reason to log into Home than ever before.

Really though, what exactly was the point of this other than to be an ass.

I did ask about the ARG, in fact. But the thing about ARGs is that they're only fun if no one knows the details of the game. ;-)

The answer to the question was that people should check it out, and that the game is fun. We talked about the existence of the game at GDC, and it is a pretty cool use of the technology. The Guitar Hero space is fun as well, but without the ability to talk about the game and then PLAY it, it's something apart from the main experience. The power of Home is when you'll be able to meet in this virtual space, interact with each other, and then bring each other directly into the game.

What's with the fixation/obsession with the "open beta" term? It's notl ike using it in this exact manner is something horrible, misleading - or even new. It's the same way Google have been using the term for years on everything new they introduce. Sure - eventually - it goes away but take Gmail as an example of just how long it can take, and even now they use it on individual parts inside Gmail as they add new features.

You make it sound like an accusation that they dare to call it beta - and even more so that they won't give you a specific date to stop calling it beta. What's with your attitude there man?

I think they understand that it's mostly useless, and that it's not all that "fluid" as they're trying to portray it. There haven't been too many updates lately, only some more spaces, where you can spend your time... doing nothing, as usual. The only breath of fresh air was the Xi thing, but that got boring really quickly.

There's absolutely no purpose for the Home. It doesn't make interaction more easy, it makes it more difficult. You can communicate a lot easier, and make a lot more friends (or foes) in the forums than in Home. And I think that some people at Sony understand that, but will never admit it, and are trying to make a good face in a bad game.

It's really silly to get caught up on the beta thing. You bust their balls about Home, but you could just as easily bust Blizzards balls about calling WoW at launch a finished product. The way game companies have been using the term beta these days really has nothing to do with the original software development definition. "Betas" are more often marketing tools akin to exclusive demos. But you also have examples like Gmail which I have happily been using for years and which is still supposedly in "beta" status. Frankly, if they feel calling it a beta gives them license to constantly be adding and improving content, more power to them. I think that is preferable to getting caught up in a silly point release schedule. At the very least you fail to really establish in this case how Home being an "open beta" constitutes, in your words, a "major issue".

OK for every Google product including Chrome to have a constant beta, everyone loves that. When Sony do it for a product far more complex than a simple web browser, suddenly it's the biggest crime of the century...

Can we get Ars interviews done by people that don't want into the room having already decided they are a Sony hater please...

We're already at a stage where anyone with a PS3 can get on, we're at more than five million downloads of the client.

This is a little misleading on their part. I'm sure a great number of people have downloaded it, because it was included in one of the PS3s required updates. 5 million downloads of the client does not equal 5 million people participating, or even 5 million people who wanted the client at all.

I agree with mgillespie. It seems like most of Google's offerings are (or have been) in long-term beta. What's with the fixation on the term?

Perhaps at one time it meant something different, but now the beta designation is used for a much more extended time period during public consumption. I'm sure they have certain internal metrics that will one day trigger the shedding of the beta tag, but until then, who cares?

As for reviewing or defense purposes, I'd say treat delicately anything in a closed beta. For open betas, give them a couple months to iron out the issues associated with large-scale operation, then it's fair game for the butchery.

The problem isn't that the product is apparently still in Open Beta, the problem is that they flat out said it's a handy excuse and they never plan to change it.

"Your service sucks."Well it's still in beta."My $4 virtual couch vanished!"Oops. Still in beta, though.

That's not how beta works. Beta means this product is legitimately incomplete and we need a large scope and scale of testers. In the case of Home, they should have figured out any remaining bugs by now. They should have a solid idea of how users are utilizing the 'service.' They're keeping the beta tag on it because as long as it's still 'in beta,' they can claim any comparisons to the competitions 'release' versions are inherently unfair. It's pathetic and their repeated attempts to dodge the question moreso. Of course, the Sony Apologist Army: Ars Division marches on. Carry on your SAAAD mission, boys. Sound off!

Home is still a beta test(Home is still a beta test)Kaz Hirai's who we like best(Kaz Hirai's who we like best)We'll buy when there are no games yet(We'll buy when there are no games yet)And deserve just what we get(And deserve just what we get)

Ben, the story does read like you're fixating on the beta tag. Maybe this comes from Ars' mission as a dedicated tech site. To you and most of the audience here, beta has a very specific meaning, as Shard20X6 pointed out.

But I think in 2009 'beta' has become more of a marketing term and isn't tied to a production or testing schedule anymore. It's a catch-all safety net, and an easy out when screw-ups happen.

Well, if you're a company that feels like it needs an easy out when screw-ups happen, that's a story right there. :-)

What I found striking was how there wasn't really a good answer to the question. If they said "Well, after some more growth we're looking forward to taking it out of beta," that would have been better. It would be a marketing answer, but it would have been better. The question was completely ducked, or they said it was a non-issue, or that no one on the team was thinking about it.

I can't imagine working on a product like Home and being told no one was worried about when it would get a "proper" release.

Originally posted by Shard20X6:That's not how beta works. Beta means this product is legitimately incomplete and we need a large scope and scale of testers. In the case of Home, they should have figured out any remaining bugs by now. They should have a solid idea of how users are utilizing the 'service.' They're keeping the beta tag on it because as long as it's still 'in beta,' they can claim any comparisons to the competitions 'release' versions are inherently unfair. It's pathetic and their repeated attempts to dodge the question moreso. Of course, the Sony Apologist Army: Ars Division marches on. Carry on your SAAAD mission, boys. Sound off

Did you read what you just wrote? Do you realize that Home doesn't even have 2 of the most important features (among others) that the service is supposed to have? Are you an idiot?

Originally posted by Shard20X6:That's not how beta works. Beta means this product is legitimately incomplete and we need a large scope and scale of testers. In the case of Home, they should have figured out any remaining bugs by now. They should have a solid idea of how users are utilizing the 'service.' They're keeping the beta tag on it because as long as it's still 'in beta,' they can claim any comparisons to the competitions 'release' versions are inherently unfair. It's pathetic and their repeated attempts to dodge the question moreso. Of course, the Sony Apologist Army: Ars Division marches on. Carry on your SAAAD mission, boys. Sound off

Did you read what you just wrote? Do you realize that Home doesn't even have 2 of the most important features (among others) that the service is supposed to have? Are you an idiot?

I'll tell you one reason why WoW is not in beta. Because people have already paid for it. How much money did you pay for Home? And before you get all smarmy and say "the price of my PS3", remember to add in the price of your PC to the cost of running your Gmail / Chrome betas.

As others have asked, why are you so bent out of shape that it's being called a beta?

1) Chrome left beta. You can download what amounts to an RTM version. There are betas for the next release, but you can also get a stable, non-beta version. Chrome's beta was one of the few legitimate uses of the term at Google

2) Google completely misuses the term beta and pretty much everyone recognizes it, including google. At this point their usage of the term means absolutely nothing. GMail may be beta, but if I actually pay for google apps I get an SLA behind it and product support.

3) Sony intends for the beta moniker to signify that there are no guarantees on quality. It is their excuse for issues that arrive, and they are absolutely right to call the current incarnation a beta. It clearly is still a work in progress.

4) Where people take issue is that Sony very clearly has no intention of changing that in the foreseeable future. Development has gone on for so long and Home has been so delayed that they had to make it available, but they know it does not have the polish of a stable, marketable product. What they really want is for users to stop complaining that Home will never arrive while also not complaining that what is there now is obviously still very much in development.

When it comes down to it, Home is a very schizophrenic entity which makes it hard for the devlopment team to really have a focus- they want it to essentially be this giant interactive marketing tool but realize that alone will attract no one. Their answer is to try to make it this collaborative and social virtual world that compels users to participate- in order to get them into this giant advertisement. Their focus is diverted between both goals and they aren't delivering well on either- considering that ultimately they want Home to be this giant caldron of viral content it is understandable that they are having a hard time. It is not an easy task to make a user platform that is powered by viral advertisement given the mercurial nature of said advertisement. I think they realize that and don't know how to actually deliver on the platform- hence it being in open beta forever.

Originally posted by Ben Kuchera:I did ask about the ARG, in fact. But the thing about ARGs is that they're only fun if no one knows the details of the game. ;-)

The answer to the question was that people should check it out, and that the game is fun. We talked about the existence of the game at GDC, and it is a pretty cool use of the technology.

The game is fun, and people should check it out, and yes, it's arguably the best use of the tech that I've seen thus far.

The game was introduced on the 23rd, with more content added regularly since then, including an entire "subspace" that was added yesterday. If you're going to write an article about what's going on in Home, it would have behooved you to check it out for yourself, as it probably is the most interesting thing to come down the pipe thus far.

quote:

The Guitar Hero space is fun as well, but without the ability to talk about the game and then PLAY it, it's something apart from the main experience. The power of Home is when you'll be able to meet in this virtual space, interact with each other, and then bring each other directly into the game.

At least, IMHO.

I agree that it will be a major draw, but keep in mind that spaces and game launching are totally separate functions.

Yes, it would be awesome to meet some fellow rockers in the GH space and start an impromptu jam session. However, as you've learned, the existence of the space doesn't guarantee such functionality. Similarly, if/when such functionality is added to GH, it won't be tied to the space. You could just as easily start up the same jam session in the Bowling Alley or Sully's Bar.

Unfortunately, recent statements from Sony lead me to believe that, unlike Trophies, support for game launching isn't (yet) mandatory. I would've like to have seen more questions about this, as Warhawk is currently the only game that supports it, rather than spending the bulk of the article pushing them on the frankly irrelevant "beta" moniker.

As far as being beta goes, it could just be as simple as them not feeling it's "finished" yet, as there are still some bugs to be worked out (I think they've only recently exorcised the poltergeists), and they apparently have more features to add (according to other statements made at GDC).

I'm not too surprised they don't think much about the beta status. Neither do I. It is what it is, and it seems to serve its purpose reasonably well at this point. If they don't feel like it's "finished" yet, that's fine. I'll just be glad they're putting more work in to it.

I don't mean to jump on the bandwagon here, but I was surprised you pressed the point about the beta so much. You came off like a real jerk to be honest. I'm sure you went in with the idea of probing journalism, but it ended up a personal crusade on a semantic point that is simply not that relevant to the whole issue.

Your point seems to be that if a company leaves something in "beta", it can then blame the beta status when things go wrong / when there are complaints. But I don't recall Sony doing anything like this with Home to be honest, not since the very beginning in any case - and it was even more evidently beta at that stage.

He didn't come off like a jerk. He is just using his journalistic integrity to press companies on BS. Like how he super hardcore grilled MS about the real figures for the RROD on the 360. Remember all those articles he wrote and all the mentions he made about how MS was being a bit overly secretive and deceptive in their claims about how rare it was? Or all the incorrect "Dirty Disc Error" errors which developers were forced to display in their games regardless of the real error? I remember the many times Ben was really pressing MS reps for details about that. Because he is fair and balanced and goes after the difficult truth for everyone.

Home is the most pointless thing I've ever seen since second life (and I own, and am happy with, my PS3)

Why the heck would anyone want to 'walk around' and gawk at , er, dostumes and displays, you can't launch games directly in there, minigames - who cares, heck the whole thing is just pointless. Trailers w00t. Talking to random 14 year old strangers - where every second sentence involves the word 'gay' - even more w00t. Playing a second rate, feature less Sims crossed with second life - sounds like torture, honestly speaking.

Then again I'm one of those neanderthals who don't understand why trophies matter to anyone so maybe I'm the wrong target audience.